1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an agricultural ground working implement comprising a first ground working unit and a second ground working unit following the first ground working unit, wherein a row cleaner for the second ground working unit is mounted to the first ground working unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Row cleaners are used for cleaning refuse, e.g., straw or the like, from the soil surface lying directly in front of the working area of a ground working unit. These ground working units may be sowing units and/or fertilizing units.
European Patent EP 894 426 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,754 describe a row cleaner of this type which is arranged on the arm of a sowing unitxe2x80x94which connects the sowing unit to a carrierxe2x80x94in such a position that it leads the sowing unit. A complicated holding arrangement in the form of a parallelogram is used for this purpose.
Another row cleaner is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,331, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,550, French Patent 1 576 504 and EP 453 420 A. In this case, the row cleaner is separately mounted on a frame of the sowing machine (such that it leads a sowing unit). However, this arrangement results in a disadvantageous elongation of the entire arrangement.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact and simple holding arrangement for a row cleaner.
Two ground working units are mounted to an implement and are arranged one behind the other in a fore/aft or longitudinal direction. The first ground working unit is mounted in front of the second ground working unit. The two ground working units are laterally offset relative to one another. The row cleaner of the second ground working unit is mounted to the first ground working unit. The second ground working unit row cleaner removes possible obstacles, e.g., refuse, straw, etc., from the soil region directly in front of the second ground working unit.
In the preferred embodiment, the row cleaner extends rearwardly from the first ground working unit. As such, the holding arrangement for the second ground working unit row cleaner can be designed significantly simpler and consequently less expensive than the holding arrangements having provisions for row cleaners. Thereby resulting in a relatively compact design.
It is also possible to mount the row cleaner to the first ground working unit so that it extends forwardly from the first ground working unit, since the second ground working unit is laterally offset from the first ground working unit. However, it would be more advantageous to arrange the row cleaner for the second ground working unit such that it extends rearwardly from the first ground working unit.
The row cleaner for the second ground working unit is either directly or indirectly mounted on a carrying arm of the first ground working unit by means of a connecting support. The carrying arm conventionally supports the first ground working unit and (usually indirectly) the corresponding ground working elementsxe2x80x94e.g., furrow openers, press wheels, and/or sowing ploughshares. The carrying arm is pivotally mounted to a carrier which in turn is pivotally mounted to the frame of the implement. The connecting support is directly mounted on the carrying arm if a direct mounting is chosen; if an indirect mounting is chosen, the connecting support can be mounted on a support that is connected to the carrying arm. This support preferably also serves for fixing ground working units.
The row cleaner is usually flexibly mounted to the ground working unit, so that it can move vertically when it encounters an obstacle. To that end the carrying arm is pivotally mounted to the connecting support such that the carrying arm can be pivoted about a transverse axis.
The carrying arm and row cleaner may be biased downwardly towards the soil with only its weight. However, a spring extending between the carrying arm and connecting support may supplement the weight of the carrying arm and row cleaner to increase the biasing force. In this case, a variable spring force is preferred, with this variable spring force being realized by arranging one end of the spring at different points.
It may also be desirable to design the row cleaner such that it can be raised together with the first ground working unit. For this purpose, the ground working unit is mounted to a rotatable carrier. The rotation of the carrier causes the ground working unit as well as the row cleaner to be raised.
A connecting support that is rigidly connected to the ground working unit could be utilized for raising the row cleaner together with the ground working unit. However, such a connecting support proved disadvantageous during the operation of the ground working implement. In the preferred embodiment a plate is connected to the connecting support and (only) contacts an element of the ground working unit during the lifting motion, with the plate causing the connecting support to be raised together with the row cleaner. However, a plate that is arranged on an arbitrary element of the ground working unit and respectively contacts the row cleaner or the connecting support during the lifting motion would also be conceivable.
It is also practical to provide a row cleaner for the front ground working unit of the implement. This row cleaner can be conventionally arranged on the front ground working unit such that it extends forwardly from the unit.